Today,Governor Rick Scott announced that the Miami metro area gained jobs in a number of different industries over the year, ranking the area in top five for total nonagricultural jobs created with 12,700. Since December 2010 the unemployment rate in the Miami metro area has dropped 2.9 percentage points.

Governor Rick Scott said, “The Miami metro area is coming back with 33,000 online job openings in February 2013 and a gain of almost 13,000 jobs over the year. That’s great news for job seekers and the construction industry, and means we’re making great progress in growing jobs for Florida families.”

In February 2013, the Miami metro area led the state metro areas in over-the-year job gains in trade, transportation and utilities (+7,000) and financial activities (+2,800). The metro area was also tied with three other areas in annual job gains in information (+100).

The Miami metro area had the second-highest online job demand in Florida in February 2013 (33,017 openings) and had the third-highest number of openings for STEM occupations in February 2013 with 6,716 online ads. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and these jobs are considered high wage and high skill.

Also in February, South Florida Workforce along with the state’s other 23 Regional Workforce Boards reported more than 38,000 Floridians were placed in jobs. An individual who receives employment and training assistance through a One-Stop Career Center and finds a job within 180 days is deemed a placement and may be reported by a regional workforce board. Of these individuals, 11,034 previously received Reemployment Assistance. In 2012, more than 426,000 Floridians were placed in jobs, with nearly 111,173 former claimants finding employment.

Florida’s unemployment rate decreased to 7.7 percent, down from the revised January 2013 rate of 7.9 percent and the lowest since October 2008. The state experienced an increase of 7,700 private sector jobs over the month and 139,200 jobs were created since February 2012. This increase brings the total number of private sector jobs created since December 2010 to 294,200. Since Governor Scott took office, the state’s unemployment rate has dropped 3.4 percentage points.